Early 1900s Los Angeles Building And Construction Shaped City's History
The city of Los Angeles stayed within its original 30 square-mile area until the 1890s. The first large additions to the city were the counties of Highland Park and Garvanza to the north, and the South Los Angeles area. In 1906, the consent of the Port of Los Angeles and a change in state law allowed the city to annex the Harbor Gateway, a thin strip of land leading from Los Angeles towards the port. San Pedro and Wilmington were incorporated in 1909, and the city of Hollywood was added in 1910, bringing the city up to 90 square miles. Also added that year were the cities of Colegrove and Cahuenga, as well as part of Los Feliz.
The opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct gave the city with 4 times as much water as it required, and the offer of water service became an effective lure for neighboring communities. Los Angeles administrators locked in clients through annexation by declining to supply other communities. By referendum of the residents, 170 square miles of the San Fernando Valley were added to the city in 1915, nearly tripling its area. Over the next twenty years dozens of new annexations brought the city's area to 450 square miles. Currently, it is about 470 square miles.
During World War II, Los Angeles grew as a locus for production of war supplies and ammunition. Many African Americans and white Southerners relocated to the area to fill factory jobs.
By the middle of the century, Los Angeles was an industrial and financial colossus due to war production and migration. Los Angeles made more cars than any city other than Detroit, produced more tires than anywhere but Akron, and stitched more clothes than any city except New York. Additionally, it was the national center for the creation of motion pictures, radio programs and television shows. Building and construction greatly expanded as tract houses were built in suburban communities financed by the Federal Housing Administration.
Los Angeles continued to spread out, especially with the development of the San Fernando Valley and the construction of the freeway system in the 1940s. When the local streetcar line went out of business, Los Angeles became a city built around the motorcar.
Matt Paolini is a roofing industry specialist for CityBook, the family-safe Los Angeles Yellow Pages, which carries an extensive directory on Los Angeles stakes.